islandbride317

Yea, Michele!!! First of all, Congratulations on your wedding -- from your gorgeous photo slideshow, it looks like you were such a fun, flirty, fabulous bride! And second, THANK YOU for writing such a refreshingly-honest review! It's awesome to read a candid account of your full DW experience ( AND PLEASE, don't worry about taking a little while to post your review, either~!! We got married May 14th, and it's now almost a month later, and I still haven't written/posted mine yet! You're right about just being busy with planning an AHR and getting back into the swing of everyday life after you return -- time just gets away from you! NO WORRIES!) CONGRATS again to you and Jim, and I hope you are simply drenched in newlywed-bliss!

Woo-hoo! CONGRATULATIONS to 2 super-fantastic ladies, who enrich BDW so very much! Go ahead and fly your new "MotM" banners with pride

Congratulations on your wedding, Christine, and WHAT a fantastic review! I'm sure future Dreams PC brides will benefit greatly from your tips, tricks and advice....and Wow! Your teaser photos are a-maaaaazing! Love the "fish-eye lens" shots -- just gorgeous, and what a beautiful bride you made!

Go get 'em, ladies! (And a special "Happy 1 year Anniversary!" shout out to nominee COUGS!! So thrilled for you and wishing you and your husband many, many more!)

Good luck, gorgeous girls!

Happy (belated) WEDDING DAY, DI!! After seeing all the hardwork and incredible planning you put into preparing for your big day, I have no doubt that it was executed as flawlessly as I am sure you LOOKED! HUGE CONGRATS and Welcome to Mrs.-ness!

Hi, ladies! I was just married at SGOR on May 14th, and whereas I had originally thought I'd be interested in having our ceremony on the Manor side of the resort at the Roman Gazebo, I quickly discovered that it is VERY close to the Main pool (and for a 2 pm ceremony, I thought there would be waaaay too much background noise for my liking).... So, when my butler Kesmit suggested the Reef Terrace Gazebo and took my husband and I there when we were checking in, I FELL IN LOVE! Not only is the background BEYOND serene and gorgeous, there is so much more privacy at this location than any other I saw while I was at SGOR. Here is what it looked like to come down the aisle, which as you can tell with my parents on either side of me and my big ballgown, there was plenty of room for everyone to fit comfortably! And here is one taken right outside of the gazebo during our ceremony (FYI: we paid $100 each for the additional florals tied to the posts): Here is one of my absolute favorite photos taken from inside the gazebo after we'd said our vows -- WHAT a VIEW! We sooooo lucked out that it didn't rain that day, except for a tiny bit in the morning!: So, in a nutshell, I would WITHOUT a doubt recommend the Reef Terrace Gazebo to ANY SGOR bride -- it was in my honest and humble opinion, the ONLY site that was worthy to host any weddings (well, those that are small enough to fit!), due to it's stunning beauty and how much ALL-IMPORTANT privacy it offered! GOOD LUCK to all future Sandals Brides!

Quote: Originally Posted by PaperBagPrincess islandbride317 Thanks for the website, your jewerly looks perfect! I will defintely check them out. You're welcome, sweetheart....like I said, Jane was an absolute JOY to work with, and I thought her prices and service were outstanding! Thankfully, you have a little bit of time to work with before your Big Day, so maybe try out a few different looks, take some photos and see what you think looks best? And even if you decide just to do the birdcage veil and go without jewelry, you'll be breathtaking either way! GOOD LUCK once again

WHAT a fabulous, sophisticated gown....and you look just so beautiful and happy in it, too! CONGRATS! If you need a suggestion on someone who does REALLY beautiful classic jewelry with a tiny bit of sparkle, I'd like to suggest the woman I worked with: her name is Jane and you can find her at Wedding Hair Accessories & Wedding Jewellery by Beady Eyes. Here is the ivory pearl and Swarovski crystal rondelle set I purchased and just wore for my wedding 2 weeks ago....everyone loved them and they complimented my "light gold" Sottero and Midgley gown beautifully: Good luck whatever you decide to do, but you look incredible already!

Yep, you're right -- "FABULOUS" is pretty accurate! WOW, are they amazing or what?!? And I can imagine you are a seasoned heels-wearer to have purchased them, so with the raised platform in the front to balance out the height of the heel, you should (fingers crossed) be pretty comfortable, too! CONGRATS on the fabu-find, and make sure you get LOTS of pics in August!

Oh wow, Karima! YOU LOOK AMAZING, and the dress fits you like a perfectly-made glove! Congratulations on your gorgeous gown, and August will be here before you know it!

OMG!!! WOW, DI!!!! You've really outdone yourself....every detail has been covered beautifully, and your wedding is really going to shine in the memories of your families and friends for years and years to come -- FABULOUSLY DONE, and all the very best of luck and love to you as your Big Day quickly approaches! And with the amazing photographers you've got lined up, I absolutely cannot WAIT to see those phenomenal pics you're gonna have (and yes, I am a little jealous!)

What else is there to say but gorgeous......simply stunning, Amy! CONGRATULATIONS again to the new Mr. and Mrs.!

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING, LADIES!!! We're BACK, and as you can see in my new Mrs. siggy pic, we had a BEAUTIFUL WEDDING DAY! My prayers for no rain were answered!! YES! My full review with tons of pics will be up as soon as possible

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! So, after a hectic day of last-minute craziness, packing, and stopping to see both of our moms for Mother's Day, John took me to a few-days-belated 30th birthday dinner -- whatta day! It's just after 3 am, and I going to sleep for a few hours....and then we're headed to the airport in the afternoon to stay the night for our VERY early 5:20 am flight on Tuesday! LOTS of LOVE and again, thank you everybody for being the most amazing group of women on the Web!

Thanks again for all the support and praise, girls! Like I said, I took MASSIVE amounts of inspiration from each and every one of you, so it's just my turn to try to give back a little Pics-a-plenty will be up when we return for sure!!

Quote: Originally Posted by sammysgirl I love the venue for your AHR!!!!!! The cake is amazing!!!!!!!! Your AHR is on my Bday You are really good at picking fantastic dates hehe! Sammysgirl, do we share a date-connection or what?! HAPPY SHARED WEDDING DAY TO YOU, in advance, and I'll be sending you birthday wishes from afar on our AHR day! THANKS SO MUCH for the congrats and well-wishes EVERYONE...now, I'm off to pack and finish last minute details before we leave on Tuesday morning

Here's a preview of the At-Home Reception on the Chesapeake Bay in Pasadena, Maryland (on Sat., August 14th) planning I have been doing so far (a full planning thread will be coming for that closer to the date): Here is the dress I will be having shorted to just below the first group of ribbons at the knee to wear at the AHR: Our venue is the Bay Ballroom at Kurtz's Beach -- I wanted something near a large body of water, so the guests can feel like they're having a mini-getaway (please excuse the rainy day the pics were taken): View of behind the head table: The high-ceiling, octagonal shaped ballroom: The buffet service area: The view of the Chesapeake Bay from the patio -- a horizon filled with water! Here is the cake I will be having, made by Fiona's Cakes and Pastries in Maryland: * (2) tiers will be Tiramisu cake with mascarpone filling * (1) tier will be classic red velvet cake with cream cheese filling * (1) tier will be white cake with chocolate ganache and fresh strawberry filling * The entire cake will be covered in Italian Meringue buttercream -- yum! Again, a full Planning Thread for my AHR will be up closer to August! HUGE HUGS AND THANKS to EVERYONE here on the most amazing wedding forum out there -- I honestly couldn't have done it without you all! Now, here we come, JAMAICA!!!

OUR Sand Ceremony Kit, ordered from GlassArt234 on eBay, personalized with our names for each of our names and then our names and date on the center container. I ordered the colored sand from MoonGlow Supplies.com: And LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST.... Here is John's Suit and tie, from Jos. A Bank: And tie: And I am SURE I AM FORGETTING lots of things, but that should be just about it for our wedding in Jamaica!! Next, a PREVIEW OF OUR AHR in August! More to come...

NEXT, HERE WE HAVE ALL THE TRAVEL-MINIS, ordered from Minimus.biz, which I tied together with cellophane and placed in a palm leaf favor bag: Here is what each guest will receive: * a "Bug Button" to attach to thier clothing to keep bugs at bay * (2) Crystal Light On The Go Drink packets * (2) Suncreen lotion packets * (3) After Sun Burn Relief Gel Packets * (3) Tylenol packets * (1) Imodium packet * (2) Insect Repellent Lotion Packets * (2) Insect String Relief Packets * (2) Antibacterial Moisturizing wipe packets * (1) SHOUT Wipe & Go Packet And for any scrapes along the way, each guest also will be getting a mini First Aid kit: Also, each guest got 2 candles, a deck of playing cards, and a Word-Find puzzle, all from the Dollar Tree: And even though this is NOT a pic of me wearing it....here is the TTD gown I bought for $50 on eBay. It's a little shiny for my liking, but the price was right to wear in the ocean!: And here is the hair flower (for the life of me, I can't remember where I ordered it from!) I will wear for the TTD pics, we're having done at a beach and waterfalls location off the resort at sunset, the night of the wedding: Next, our Sand Ceremony Kit! More to come.....

FLOWERS!! I knew I wanted RealTouch Flowers, and through BDW, I found Roberta @ Plumeria's Wedding Flowers Boutique online -- she's a total gem, and I love my flowers soooo much! Here are all of the flowers together: And a close-up of my bouquet: And as I have decided not to have bridesmaid, I got each of the Mother's a special bouquet: And here are the bouts -- both John and the fathers will all be wearing the same style: And I got my sister a hair flower comb, as well, which is in the bottom right of the 1st flowers photo. Now onto the OOT BAGS! I worked with Becks again (Allurements by Rebecca) for our Monogram design for the Canvas tote bags (iron-on transfer patches) and for our Travel mugs insert designs (which worked great for our small number of 10 guests, and most places have a minimum order number of 50): I ordered the 16 x 16 x 4 natural cotton canvas bags at Rebecca's recommendation from InGreetings.com, and ironed the patches myself. I also downsized our original logo, and made the guest name tags tied on to the handle, as well (ie. each says the person's name and their relation to us -- "Nancy, Mother of the Bride, etc.): And I ordered the 16 oz. Aladdin Scrapbook Insertable Travel mugs from aladdin.com, and printed out the design on photo paper: MORE OOT BAG STUFF TO COME!

BEFORE I forget.....here are the Hairstyle inspiration pics I will be giving to the stylist at Sandals: THE INVITATIONS: Here is a pic of the whole kit and kaboodle sent to guests -- the invitations, our custom RSVP postcard, and the Accomodation Information Sheet: I ordered the sheer vellum sheets from Invitation by Dawn, the white with aqua deckle edge backing sheets from David's Bridal online, and tied them together with Oatmeal Wraphia Ribbon (my semi-DIY project!) and I was thrilled with how they turned out: **For our custom logo and RSVP postcards, I worked with fellow BDW member Becks (Allurements by Rebecca) -- and she couldn't have been more WONDERFUL IN EVERY WAY to work with......THANKS A MILLION, Rebecca, and I'd like to VERY HIGHLY recommend her to everyone!** Here is our logo, which was on the front of the postcard: I ordered the stamps to match from Zazzle.com: And I was able to find matching paper for the accomodation information at OfficeMax.com -- how lucky! Next, on to the Flowers and Wedding-Week Guest Welcome Bags! MORE TO COME....

So, I knew I wasn't going to want a tiara to go with the gown, but when the attendant at the bridals salon placed this piece in my hair, I KNEW it was perfect to complete the look: This hair piece is also by Maggie Sottero: And here is the veil I selected, a single-tier cathedral length (PHOTO from when I tried on the sample gown in August '09): And I wanted to keep the jewelery relatively simple, so I ordered these from a fabulous woman named Jane in the UK -- you can find her store, Beady Eyes Designs at Wedding Hair Accessories & Special Occasion Jewellery - Beady Eyes. She a dream to work with! Here is a pic of what my shoes look like (except there is a strap that comes around the front of the ankle, too). From David's Bridal: And here are the little panties I ordered from Victoria's Secret that say "Bride to Be: I wanted a signature scent for the Wedding Day, too, so I found "The One" by Dolce & Gabbana, and I love it! I'll be wearing "The One" when I MARRY The One! And here is a pic of John's ring -- purchased at Ultra Diamonds, in Lancaster, PA -- he can't wait to wear it! Next....The Invitations and Flowers! More to Come.....

Next, I decided that if all goes well and the weather holds out, as May is rainy season for Jamaica, that I wanted to have the ceremony @ 2 pm on Friday May 14th (originally, I wanted to have it later in the day, but apparently rain is most likely at 4 pm!) Here is the Roman Gazebo on the Manor side of the resort, and I love how unique this location is, without the chance of onlookers getting into the back ground of our photos, as can happen on the beach: And we decided just to go with the "Beautiful Beginnings" package by Martha Stewart, offered by Sandals: For the ceremony, I also decided to give the guests fans to help with the heat and humidity, and I purchased these fans @ Michael's (a box of 18 was less than $20): Next order of business -- THE DRESS! I had originally purchased a very simple strapless A-line gown with no fuss or frills at David's Bridal (I had convined myself that I couldn't have my Dream Dress because we were having a DW), but I decided that in the end, it doesn't matter if it's too hot or not, I want MY PRINCESS DRESS, damn it! Here is my other love.....my Sottero & Midgley RSM 1038 gown in Light Gold, with pics on the model, and me at my final fitting: NEXT....the ACCESSORIES! More to Come.....

Hello, my beautiful BDW sisters! Much like everyone else says....I can't BELIEVE it's finally MY turn to do my planning thread! We are leaving in 2 days for our wedding on Friday, May 14 @ Sandals Grande Ocho Rios Beach and Villa Resort in Jamaica! Let me begin by saying that THIS FORUM has truly been a God-send -- without all of the support, advice, tips and tricks shared by all of you, I NEVER would have been able to feel as prepared and confident as I do for our wedding -- THANK YOU endlessly, ladies! Well, let's get started, shall we? First, our engagement: John had intended to propose on the beaches of the Maryland shore during a moonlit walk, but since I was rear-ended in a car accident the VERY day we were supposed to leave and couldn't, and he couldn't wait any longer as the ring was burning a hole in his pocket, he decided that our living room was as good a place as any, bless his heart! On Aug 20th, 2008, he asked me on bended knee to be his wife -- and he certainly surprised me! My ring is an art-deco inspired marquise diamond, surrounded by 12 small diamonds with a diamond-inlaid band: And here is what the entire set will look like, with the double-diamond insert band -- bling, bling! Next, the RESORT we selected! As the most budget-friendly option of all the Sandals resorts for our guests, we dedided on Sandals Grande Ocho Rios Beach and Villa Resort in Ocho Rios, Jamaica: MORE TO COME.....